Sunday, February 17, 2013

Ninkasi Brewing Company - Radiant Ale

A ray of sunshine?

Somebody showed up at one of my BBQ's with a case of Ninkasi Radiant Ale last summer. It seemed like it took forever to get through the stuff. Tonight, I think I finally polished off the last bottle. I found it in the back of the fridge behind the kombucha.

The beer poured into my pint glass a hazy amber/orange color with a foamy, frothy, off-white, 2 inch head that slowly dissipated. A decent amount of lacing was left behind. I wish I had snapped my photo sooner but I couldn't find my phone. The pic on the left doesn't do the head justice.

The smell is sweet malt. Somewhat bready with minimal hops aroma.

The taste follows the nose with sweet caramel malt. There's a nice creaminess backed up by citrus hops. Orange and grapefruit. The finish comes with a tinge of hops bitterness and an odd astringent flavor left on the palate.

Medium mouthfeel with decent carbonation.

I guess this beer floated around in my fridge for so long because I'm not a huge fan of the style. I like big, bold flavor or something mellow and very drinkable. This beer seems to be trying to cover both bases but misses each mark by just a tad.

Certainly not a bad beer but not one I'll eagerly welcome into my BBQ cooler again. I'm giving Ninkasi Radiant Ale a Big Dumb Galoot rating of 2 crushed cans out of 4.

AWARDS!

About Me

Everybody needs a hobby, mine is drinking craft beer. When I'm not at work, you can find me on my deck, sipping on a cold one and manning my Weber Kettle. I love my wife, my kids and my dog, Merry the Wonder Beagle. I also love my adopted home, Portland, Oregon, the best damn beer city in these United States or anywhere else.